Healthcare Marketing Advice: How to Gain and Keep your Patients

Healthcare Marketing Advice: How to Gain and Keep your
Patients

It is difficult to market yourself
when it comes to the medical field. Doctors, up until this point are not used
to advertising for themselves. People just go to the doctor when they are sick
and that is that. But today’s for profit healthcare landscape, for good
or ill, has changed how people view the doctor’s office. And they often view it as a last resort.

Doctors and hospitals now have to
work harder to convince patients to come to them. But what are some of the best
ways to get patients to listen to your message? What is going to make them more
likely to return? Here are a few ways to at least increase your chances of
patients being more receptive to your message and making another appointment.

Don’t
get Complacent

One of the biggest misconceptions
about healthcare marketing , or really any kind of marketing is that once you
send your message, and you are seeing any kind of growth that the job is done
and the responsibility on your end is over.

That is simply not true. Just like
the concept of health itself, it is not about just doing the bare minimum and
expecting your body to be at peak performance. Its simply not possible because
both things require consistent effort.

Marketing is a constant social
exercise of spreading the word, getting feedback, and doing the best you can so
everyones needs, including your own, are satisfied.

Even big corporations that have been
established for years have become blindsided by their own complacency.
They get angry that their customers are no longer loyal, when the truth of the
matter is that they stopped putting in the work ages ago.

So don’t be complacent. Make sure
you and your staff are doing the best they can to see how they can spread the
word about your practice.

Let
Your Passion Be Contagious

The idea of healthcare has certainly
seen changes this past decade. Political drama, confusing language, financial
burden, and insurance company mandates are are enough to make doctors and their
staff members want to tear their hair out in frustration. Add mistrustful
or squirrely patients in the mix and it is wonder that anyone would want to be
a doctor.

But you are still going to work
everyday. Why? Because there is probably a reason that got you to where you are
today. Whether your motivation was to help people, or you are constantly
curious about how things work in the human body, the doctors that stay in spite
of the hardship are usually the ones that have a passionate investment in what
they do.

People recognize and respond to
passion. It is just as contagious as any other disease you would treat.
It can even check cynicism and mistrust. When you are enthusiastic about
sharing what you know and how things work, your patients will be more likely to
pay attention to what you have to say. They will also be more responsive to
visiting you again.

Speak
to Patients on Their Level

That being said, passion alone isnt
enough. You need clarity.

For example, a friend of yours is a
fan of a sci-fi television series that you never heard of. They gush using
words you never heard of and with a context that you don’t have. How long
will it take before you start to tune out what they are saying?

When patients aren’t listening or
giving you a positive response, it could be just that the message went over
their head. They simply didn’t have the same level of medical education
and upkeep as you have. Sometimes they might even lack a level of scientific
literacy that is common in most public education. Whatever the case may be, it
is hard for a patient to relate to a doctor who uses vocabulary that they don’t
understand.

The average American reading level
is at 8th grade. And only 28 percent of the United States populace would be
considered scientifically literate.

So, take the time, when speaking to
your patients or advertising to get to their level. Not condescendingly, but at
least illustrate your point in a way that makes what you do and what they need
easier to understand.

Conclusion

Healthcare marketing to
patients requires effort, passion, and clear communication. If you have all
three of those things, they will be much more likely to respond favorably.